Sunday, March 13, 2016

“ The principle of medical confidentiality should be broken so that doctors can transmit certain information to the competent authorities when they think there is a short-term threat ,” explained Rémi Jouty, the director of the investigation and analysis Bureau (BEA), told reporters.

The final BEA report, published in Le Bourget, near Paris, confirmed that the German co-driver Andreas Lubitz, who suffered from mental problems, deliberately precipitated the aircraft on the ground March 24, 2015 in French Alps, killing 150 people including 72 Germans and 50 Spaniards.

The BEA issued eleven “ safety recommendations ” oriented towards better detection of psychological weakness situations pilots, the feedback of information to the authorities or the employer , medical monitoring and support measures to a pilot who would lose his license for medical reasons.

They have no binding but authoritative reports of BEA in the aviation community.

“ If the doctors had detected a possible psychosis (at Andreas Lubitz) had informed the authorities, they probably would have suspended flight, and given the diagnosis, it is not probable that the pilot could see its license renewed , “added Mr. Jouty.

According to the BEA, the breaking of confidentiality exists in countries such as Israel, Canada and Britain.

“ Several private doctors had information (Andreas Lubitz note) was ill ,” said Arnaud Desjardins who was in charge of the investigation of the BEA.

According to the medical, Andreas Lubitz suffered from depression. On 10 March 2015, 15 days before the crash, a private doctor “ had diagnosed a possible psychosis and recommended treatment in a psychiatric hospital “, said the BEA.

In their report, the BEA experts advocate regular assessments only for drivers with a known history of mental illness. Generalize extensive psychiatric examinations to all drivers “ would be neither efficient nor profitable “, they said.

The BEA also recommends the inclusion pilots’ reluctance to disclose their fear of losing their license issues and encourages companies to adopt “ measures to mitigate the socio-economic risks loss of license for medical reasons “as specific insurance.

– No changes in the lock –

When contacted by AFP, Yves Deshayes, president of the SNPL, the main union of French pilots, said that the lifting of medical confidentiality would be “ not good “, instead advocating “ better monitoring upstream .”

According to him, “ the worst drivers not go longer heal or if soigneraient without declaring that they are pilots “, resulting in greater risk, particularly in cases not compatible with piloting an aircraft requirements.

On March 24, 2015, Andreas Lubitz, copilot aged 27 flight GWI18G Barcelona-Düsseldorf Germanwings low-cost subsidiary of Germany’s Lufthansa, had taken advantage of the temporary absence of the commander in the cockpit to engage the descent of the Airbus half an hour after takeoff.

The aircraft had crashed after ten minutes in the southern French Alps.

In its report, the BEA does not recommend changes to the current system, in force since the attacks of 11 September 2001, which provides that once locked, the cockpit door can not be opened outside. “ The terrorist threat is still there ,” said Mr. Jouty.

The BEA does not mention the obligatory presence of a second person constantly in the cockpit, as advocated by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Widely applied by European companies on a voluntary basis since the crash, this measure does not unanimous. The German pilots’ union believes it has “ Risk ” that “ weigh heavier than the presumed safety earnings .”

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the crash, a majority of families will gather on March 23 for a ceremony in Marseille before traveling the next day to the scene of the crash.